


Weiss Alone

by Beatonen



Series: War and Peace [2]
Category: RWBY
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-10
Updated: 2017-09-10
Packaged: 2018-12-26 04:02:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,382
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12050889
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Beatonen/pseuds/Beatonen
Summary: Set right after Weiss runs away from her father's mansion.I highly recommend reading Fire and Gold before reading this.





	Weiss Alone

**Author's Note:**

> Hey again! So I saw somewhere in the comments that people wanted to know what had happened to Weiss before RBY found her, and I thought it was interesting, so I gave it a shot!
> 
> Also, I'm not sure I write Weiss well, so, yeah...
> 
> Anyway, I hope you'll enjoy it!

Running away was, at the same time, the most brilliant and the stupidest thing she had ever done.

Not that it really mattered now, being on the run and all.

But now, she was alone, with only a vague idea where to go. Alone with her mind, with her thoughts.

The same thoughts that made it so difficult to make friends, in the first place.

Panting, Weiss drew her blade to her side as the last Grimm was dissolving slowly in front of her, and after quick glances around, she relaxed slightly. It wasn’t until she felt a soft nudge on her knee that she looked down, the stark white boarbatusk looking up at her with its pale-blue eyes, wagging its small, tufted tail.

“Good work.” she let out, a smile ghosting on her lips as she completely relaxed this time, sheathing her sword. “Thank you for giving me a heads up.”

The beast snorted softly as it squint its eyes, shuffling a little on its small legs, apparently waiting for something. With a huff and a smile on her lips, she reached down, gently petting the creature’s head, caressing its ear between two fingers, and the boarbatusk closed its eyes, raising its head a little more to nudge at her wrist with its snout.

“Alright, alright,” Weiss chuckled, scratching behind an ear. “I promise I’ll pet you more once I make up camp, but we have to keep going, now.”

The beast grunted, but still pulled away, already trotting away to get back to the road as Weiss followed, shaking her head.

The boarbatusk she had summoned was at first for companionship, but she soon realised that it was also an added security, for the creature could hear or smell Grimm from afar, and it would help her in battle, too. Besides, if she kept it around for long moments, it would also increase her stamina for summoning.

It was just a little sad that it couldn’t talk back.

She had been on her own for three months, now. When she landed on Mistral’s northern coast, the airship pilot saying that he couldn’t take her farther, she took a look at the map she borrowed from the pilot and traced with a finger from where she was, to a spot deeper in the lands, south-east from there. Winter. With her objective as clear as day, she folded the map, shoving it inside the large backpack she traded for her suitcase, making transporting her belongings easier, and took off without a second thought.

After the first month of travel, she realised now that Mistral was far, far bigger than Atlas.

It was a few weeks after that that she missed another presence, whatever it was, and she got the idea of summoning one of her Grimm. She remembered her older sister summoning a Beowolf and she petted it, at the time. And now, the boarbatusk was her tireless, joyful companion from the moment she woke up to when she went to bed. At first, her days were short, for her aura was all drained, but now she could go on even after the sun had set, even after a fight with a pack of Grimm.

Day after day, Weiss would check on her map, trying to guess where they were. It was easier when she would cross path with villages, but after a really small settlement mistook her for a witch after they saw she had tamed a Grimm, she had decided to only get near when she was out of supplies, and without her Grimm. She didn’t want what happened in that small settlement to happen again. Thrown stones and sticks was, in her opinion, a weird way to get rid of a ‘witch’, and it didn’t really hurt her because of her aura, but it had bruised her pride.

After the fourth month, she had fallen into a ‘routine’; she woke up, prepared her things, take off with the boarbatusk, fight Grimm most days, walk all day long until the sun set then set camp and slept. Only to do the same the other day. And the day after. Her body was numb, and she tried to shut her mind off, letting the days wash one after the other over her, repeating over and over again her main goal.

_I have to reach Winter._

The days, all in all, were over fast. Weiss, too caught up in what was, at this point, her prayer, and the fights with the Grimm, never saw it go until the light shifted, taking a deeper, gold and orange glow to the trees surrounding her. She hated this time of day. Well, not hated in its whole, but she hated how sad and nostalgic it made her feel.

Because the glow of the setting sky was the same color as Blake’s eyes.

And one thought would bring along others, making her evenings and her nights difficult, because the thought of Blake would bring the thought of Yang and Ruby, and that night at Beacon. Concern would make her mind go wild, and miss would empty it, and more than once, she realised she was crying, staring absently into the camp fire, when something would nudge her shoulder. Turning her head, she would see her loyal and faithful companion nudge her shoulder again with the side of its tusk, snorting quietly.

With a quiet sob, Weiss wrapped her arms around its neck, rubbing her cheeks against the short fur, feeling the creature’s head resting against her shoulder.

“Thank you.” She murmured, her arms tightening. “I needed that.”

The beast only sighed deeply.

The other day, she forced herself to shove her feelings down, locking it safely somewhere in the back of her head before it distracted her too much.

And so she continued on, like a soldier that was doomed to meet her fate. Her lockdown was so efficient that she processed every thoughts neutrally, with a calm calculation that could rival her father’s.

_What if the team thinks I left them? Because, in a way, I did._

_Of course not. You know they will never think that._

_Has Winter figured out I was going to meet her? Does she even know I left the mansion?_

_Surely. Father had probably thrown a tantrum over this to her._

_What does it matter if she doesn’t know I’m coming? She’ll be relieved to see that I’m fine._

_I guess._

_What if she doesn’t care, and want to send me back to the mansion?_

_Of course not. I know she wanted me out of there as much as me._

Her train of thought were stopped by her arrival near a village, or the quiet shriek of the boarbatusk warning her.

One day, during a fight, after slashing her blade against the flank of a Beowolf, the dark beast snarled, and swished the air with its claw towards Weiss. With a graceful backflip, she evaded the attack, but when she landed, she hadn’t noticed the rocks and stones covered by moss, and when her right foot touched the ground, it landed badly, her heel coming with full force on the rock, making her ankle twist painfully.

Dropping to her knee with a pained cry, her hand reaching for her ankle, Weiss was vulnerable, and her opponent saw it. As the tall, dark creature set its glowing red eyes on her, raising its clawed paw above its head, then bringing it down, Weiss closed her eyes, waiting for the fatal blow to end her life.

Honestly, she didn’t even feel the least bit worried. It was just happening. She didn’t care at all.

Well, maybe she felt a little regret, somewhere, far away in the back of her head.

She felt a wave of air on her face, heard the swishing of the wind as the beast brought its paw down, and she waited…

But the hit never came. Instead, she heard a loud, ear-piercing shriek, and she opened her eyes wide. Right in front of her, the stark white Boarbatusk reeled, the claws buried deep in its back.

It had thrown itself in front of her, to protect her.

Even though Weiss knew it was its job, she still couldn’t believe it.

She used others of her Grimm to take blows for her, to sacrifice for her, and it never affected her. But this one…

This one couldn’t die.

This one was her _friend_.

As quick as lightning, she flicked her wrist, and the boarbatusk whimpered weakly as a glyph appeared under it, slowly sinking it in the ground. The Beowolf seemed distracted by the glowing symbol, because it gave Weiss time to stand on her left foot, and hit directly in the beast’s white mask, making it crack. For a second, both of them seemed to be trapped in time, their surroundings stopping and silent, even the wind in the leaves seemed to stop.

Then, the Beowolf roared, opening its jaw wide only a couple of inches from Weiss’s face, seemingly trying to make her cower in fear one last time.

But even to her own surprise, Weiss felt a surge of anger, and impulsively she tightened the grip she had on her hilt, pushing on it to make the blade sink deeper, bringing Weiss’s nose brushing against the mask, but her pale-blue eyes roared fire as she stared dead in red ones, fierce and filled with power, as she screamed her lungs out.

The dark beast had already started to dissolve, and so she stayed there, panting, her eyes never leaving the creature’s until her blade, not stuck into something, fell down, the tip sinking in the ground. She fell to her knees, suddenly exhausted, and that only made her remember her twisted ankle.

With a grimace, she looked over her foot, quickly slipping her shoe off. Her ankle was already swelling, and with a click of her tongue, she realised she wouldn’t be able to walk properly for a day or two.

After two tries to sheath her sword because her hands were shaking too much, she rose to her good foot, jumping slightly to keep her balance. Then, with a flick of her wrist, a large glyph appeared in front of her, and a large, white Ursa appeared, growling as its eyes glanced around. Without Weiss saying anything, it stepped closer and lowered its body in front of her, waiting for her to climb on, and they took off.

Weiss traveled with the Ursa for a week, just to be sure her ankle would be alright. She had detoured from the road often, when the white beast started growling, indicating a pack of Grimm near, because she figured that she couldn’t fight without her two feet, and so, she reluctantly changed course.

After she decided to go on foot, at least for a while per day, she summoned the Boarbatusk for the first time since then.

It appeared quickly, being that much smaller than the Ursa, and the first thing it did was wag its tail, sitting in front of her to look up. Without a second thought, she fell to her knees, hugging the beast tightly against her as it snorted softly, resting its head on her shoulder.

“Don’t ever do that again.”

The beast grunted quietly, nudging her head with the side of its tusk. With a sharp intake of air, Weiss pulled away, quickly rubbing her eyes to wipe the tears in them, then she stood, clearing her throat.

“Are you ready?”

The creature jumped to its legs, still looking up at her, and she smiled, a real smile. After a second of thinking, she realised she didn’t smile like that for almost two years, now.

“Let’s go, then.”

It took Weiss almost a year to reach the area she knew Winter was. She just didn’t know _where_ exactly her sister was. That needed for her to go in town. To _talk_ to people.

Looking over the well-used map, Weiss’s pale-blue eyes wandered around the area, and decided to go to the biggest village in the area. Asking more people would go a long way, she thought. And so, she marched on, the Boarbatusk on her heels.

She knew she was only reporting to later the fact that she would _have_ to enter a village for more than supplies.

As she went, she was near the village she wanted to stop in after a few months, but she had this feeling. This sinking, dreadful feeling in her chest, that seemed heavier with each passing days. Grimm near villages and settlements were uncommon, but she wasn’t _that_ close to any of those villages. So why didn’t she came across Grimm for more than a week? Where did they go?

She was about to enter the small village right next to the bigger one, to refill her stocks of Dust, when she felt it. A cold shiver, sliding down her spine as she felt a hundred gaze on her back. And she wasn’t alone. The Boarbatusk had stopped in its track a few paces behind her, its pale-blue eyes turned to the forest boarding the road, unusually silent. Weiss frowned, looking to the forest, too. Even with the distance, she could see, if she weas attentive enough, large shadows moving. But this was more than a single pack. This was more than what she could take on alone. She looked back at the small creature beside her, wondering if she tried her luck in town and hoping there was another Hunter nearby, or if she went alone, but the choice was made for her.

As she was about to step towards the village, a dozen of dark Beowolf jumped out of the treeline, running on all four towards the village, snarling and howling. As she spun on her heels to face them, she heard behind her the screams of panic of the people near the gate.

“Close the gates!” she yelled behind her shoulder, hearing people stomping their foot not far from her. “Close them, quick!”

Quickly, she made the Boarbatusk disappear, calculating the distance between her and the approaching Grimm when she heard someone stomping behind her, then stopped on each side of her.

“Why didn’t you go inside? You’re going to get killed!” yelled a man’s voice to her right, and after a quick glance, she figured he was a food hunter.

“I’m a Huntress.” She answered simply, drawing her rapier as she made a few steps forward. “Be ready. I’ll try to manage as much as I can, but they seem to be a lot more behind the treeline. Stay back.”

With that said, she flicked her wrist again, this time a large glyph appearing on the ground and making the men gasp behind her as a tall, stark white knight rose from the ground. As she took a deep breath, readying her blade in front of her, she could feel the knight positioning itself into an offensive stance, and she waited, calculating again the distance between her and the Grimm.

They were coming fast, but she waited for the right moment. She knew she still couldn’t summon him for long, and she wanted to make the most of it, and so, she waited.

She counted down in her head, feeling the increasing nervousness of the men a couple of feet behind her, but she had to stay focused. She had to.

No one was dying when she was there. Not again.

With her resolve as hard as steel, she took a sharp intake of air as the Grimm where in range, and as they were about to jump on her, she quickly took a step forward, bringing the hilt right beside her head as she crouched, the blade straight in front of her and ready to strike as the knight took a large step, swinging the large blade in an arc in front of him, cutting in half the entirety of the first wave.

She heard the men behind her whooping excitedly, impressed just by that, but Weiss still waited, beads of sweat forming on her temple.

This summoning was really draining her too fast.

Another wave of Grimm, this time, as Weiss counted them quickly, they were at least twenty. She glanced up to the knight, seeing he was already returning to his offensive stance, the large gauntlets squeezing the hilt tight.

It didn’t made sense. Grimm usually wandered in packs, and they weren’t organized. At least, not like that. What was going on, here? And why this village in particular?

She didn’t have time to think any further because, behind the wave of Grimm, she could see, going out of the treeline, five Ursa making their way at a slower pace. The Beowolf were the foot soldiers, the Ursa, the tanks.

It didn’t made sense at all.

Weiss was still in her crouched position, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. She heard the men behind her, as they also noticed the Ursa behind, starting to back away.

She gritted her teeth. If she had to protect this village alone, than so, be it.

Again, when the Beowolf were in range, the white knight stepped forward to sweep his blade, cutting the Grimm in halves, and as they were dissolving in a dark cloud, Weiss sprinted then, running along the shadow of the tall blade of her knight as he brought his blade to strike again. Waiting for the pounding of the running Ursa to be closer, she hid behind a cloud a few seconds, then jump through it, surprising the large Grimm in front of her as she buried her blade through its mask, shattering it, then pulling it out quickly as it fell to the ground, dissolving.

The knight let his blade fall, cutting one Ursa in half vertically as he punched another one, crushing it under the heavy gauntlet. Weiss was quick too, her strikes were fast, precise and deadly, and as she killed the last Ursa, wiping the sweat from her eyebrows, she heard again the men cheering and whooping behind her.

As Weiss was about to celebrate, or at least, relax a tiny bit, she saw the knight take an offensive stance again, waiting. As she looked back to the treeline, she could see the tall, large trees moving, some even crashed to the ground, and as she swallowed hard, quickly whipping her sweaty palm on her skirt before gripping firmly her rapier, two Death-Stalkers appeared from the forest, one far bigger than the other. She heard a couple of tumble, then one men yelling, and Weiss chanced a quick glance above her shoulder.

A couple of food hunters were running away down the road, and only three were left, standing shakily.

_They’re going to die if I fail._

Gritting her teeth again, she flicked her wrist, the knight sinking in the ground only to be replaced with the biggest Ursa she had. This one was old, almost as big as the smallest Death-Stalker and full of spikes, and Weiss remembered their fight as long and tiring, bringing her to her limit of fighting skills.

This one was one of the most powerful Grimm she had, and this one also didn’t drain her as fast as the knight.

With quick motions, she turned the barrel of her rapier, stopping it to the blue one, and as she slid two fingers along the blade, her Ursa sprinted forward with a roar, ramming the smaller Death-Stalker right in its face. Weiss, on the other hand, after reaching the tip of her rapier, she exhaled slowly, then twisted her wrist, bringing her squeezed fingers up. Instantly, long spikes of ice formed themselves under the bigger Grimm, their sharp end breaking the soft shell of its belly, then Weiss quickly swiped her fingers to the side, and a wall of ice trapped it’s two pincers, stopping it in its track effectively.

Not wanting to push her luck, Weiss quickly reached to fight between her Ursa and the Death-Stalker, rolling on her shoulder when a sharp pincer swung towards her, slashing her blade in the inside of the joints, between the shells, and the Grimm yowled. The stark white Ursa roared, clawing at the eyes of the Grimm to blind it, and Weiss noticed the Grimm’s tail standing, taking a swing to strike down, but before the dart could hit, it was met with Weiss’s glyph, the sting bouncing painfully against it as Weiss jumped up, climbing on it to slash her blade in the joint again, the cut deep enough to sever the connexion. As the large, golden dart hung helplessly from the tail, the beast screeched, swinging its tail from one side to the other as Weiss jumped back, landing on the Stalker’s head, quickly sinking her blade in an eye, trying to bury it deep enough to kill it.

But the raging beast grabbed her with its pincer, and out of instinct, Weiss’s grip tightened around the hilt, and when the Grimm pulled her up, the blade slipped out, making it growl, before throwing her far away, towards the village.

At first, Weiss screamed, the sheer power of the throw and the roaring of the wind in her ears enough to make her panic for a moment, but she quickly focused, materialising a glyph under her feet to slow down, and a series of them to jump across, quickly returning to battle. The last three men had panicked when they saw her flying, and they were banging on the large gates of the village, shouting to be heard.

Weiss continued on. She could see her Ursa taking advantage of the wounded Stalker, and the fight with this one was near its end. It was for the other she was starting to worry.

It was using its tail to smash the ice around its pincers, and even if the spikes of ice were buried in its body, it didn’t seem to disturb it more than that. It was about to break free.

She couldn’t fight two Death-Stalkers on her own.

So, she increased her pace, hoping she could finish the wounded one before the bigger broke free. But before she could reach the Stalker, she heard a low rumble, far away, steadily growing louder, and Weiss looked up, searching the skies for something she knew it was.

An airship. A _military_ airship.

She saw it, appearing from behind a cloud as it ducked down, descending as it drew out the guns and cannons it was equipped with.

A wave of relief washed over Weiss, recognising the flags that were flapping behind.

“Winter…”

She just had the time to spoke this word until she heard the gears running, the cannons moving to target the Grimm. She realised then that, far up there, they maybe couldn’t see her, being so small compared to the tall, gigantic beasts, and as she saw the barrel starting to light up, she knew.

They didn’t see her.

And so, knowing the raw power of this Atlesian cannon, she started running the other way, trying to get as far away from the fight as possible, flicking her wrist to call back her Ursa.

She had fought sweat and blood with this one, she wasn’t going to lose it.

As she heard the cannon nearly ready, she knew she wasn’t far away enough, and so she made a glyph appear under her feet, sliding just above the ground more quickly, but when the airship did shoot, it shook the ground, the breath of the blast projecting her with so much force that the rest of her aura broke, and when she hit the ground, she was already unconscious.

 

**** 

 

“I’m really sorry, Weiss, if I had known you were down there…” Winter was saying, gently taking her hand, almost as if it was made of glass. “I’m going to fire this idiot right after I leave.”

Weiss blinked lazily, only half listening to what her sister was saying. The ceiling… it was grey, metallic, but with the light coming from outside through the large window, it seemed almost silver… Like Ruby’s eyes.

“It’s fine,” Weiss finally let out, rolling her head to the side, her eyes falling to their joined hands. “He was just doing his job.”

How long has it been the last time someone touched her? Hold her hand, like this? A painful flash of a red cape on top of Beacon’s highest tower made her close her eyes with a grimace, returning to her initial position, and the hand holding hers squeezed a little tighter.

“Are you in pain? Do I have to call the medic back?” Winter quickly asked, already signaling to someone outside the open door.

“I’m fine, Winter.” Weiss assured.

Even her own voice sounded foreign. She did talk to herself sometimes, but only under her breath, and she did talk to the hunters earlier that day, but it wasn’t the same. She was giving orders, protecting their lives.

She hadn’t had the time to realise she didn’t recognise her own voice.

She looked over at her sister as Winter returned her attention to Weiss, a small glint of worry in her eyes the only sign of concern on her tired features. The hand she had raised to call someone slowly came down, returning to her lap, but the hand holding hers was still tight, only relaxing when Weiss rubbed her thumb against it.

“Where are we?” the younger sister asked, looking outside, only to see trees as far as the eye could see.

“We’re not going far from the place we picked you up.” Winter assured. “Just a few villages away. We were doing a routine check up on something when we saw the Stalkers.”

Weiss hummed, keeping her eyes outside, a strange feeling of emptiness growing inside her. Sensing something was wrong, Winter cleared her throat, hoping to get Weiss’s attention back.

“You were injured in the blast, a few cuts and bruises, but it should be healed in a few days. It would have been sooner if your aura wasn’t depleted, and you weren’t exhausted, but a few days… a few days are still good.”

Weiss hummed again, the information going through one ear and right out the other. Winter squeezed her hand shortly.

“The medic said that you hit your head, not that hard mind you, but enough for you to maybe experience some kind of shock. If you feel nauseous, a big headache, sleepy and the likes, tell him.”

_Huh. So that’s what it is._

“I feel kind of sleepy.” Weiss informed, her voice even.

She felt her sister move, but no words were spoken, and when she turned her head back Winter was holding her hand with both of hers, a really small, encouraging smile on her lips as a man was already working behind her.

“It’s going to be alright, Weiss. But I have to go, for now. We’re landing in a few minutes, and they will transfer you to your quarters. I will visit you tonight, and in the meantime, you should rest.”

Winter stood, her features going back to the cold, calculated mask she always wore, but a soft glint in her eyes were still there as she looked down on her sister.

“You’ve had a long journey. You deserve to rest, now.”

 

**** 

 

“When was the last time you ate?” Winter asked as she raised a single eyebrow, her lips twitching with slight disgust.

Weiss stopped her spoon in midair, thinking for a second, before resuming.

“This morning.” She quickly answered before bringing the spoon to her mouth.

“I can’t believe you seem to enjoy this,” the older woman murmured, crossing her leg over her knee, “this is military food. How can you like it?”

“Oh, I don’t,” Weiss assured, “but my reserves of food were low for a while, now, and I had to ration it. Now, I don’t have to.”

A flick of concern crossed the older woman’s face, but she said nothing, only repositioning herself on the chair.

“In any case, I’m glad to see you’re better than earlier. I had the impression I was talking to a corpse.”

The spoon stopped scraping in the bowl as Weiss froze, her eyes staring at nothing in particular. For a moment, she even looked like she had stopped breathing. Winter was about to talk when she suddenly glanced up to her older sister, earning surprised arched white eyebrows.

“Do you have any news on my team?” Weiss asked quietly.

Winter’s short sigh didn’t help her nerves as she set the bowl aside on the tray in front of her.

“The last news I have is that they disbanded. Blake has just… disappeared after Beacon fell, Ruby and Yang on the other hand went back to Patch. Both of them were alive. We know Ruby left Patch, but I couldn’t send a spy on her. It wasn’t a mission.”

Weiss’s eyes returned to the void, empty, as her shoulders slouched. Her hands started trembling, but she quickly clenched them into tight fists, Winter noticing.

“But Ruby left with the remnant of team JNPR,” she added, hoping it would ease her sister’s mind.

How mistaken she was when Weiss suddenly stared at her, dead in the eyes, her face a hard mask.

“What do you mean, ‘the remnant’ of team JNPR?”

Winter seemed to deflate, not believing her ears. Just to be sure, she uncrossed her legs to lean forward, her elbows planted on her knees.

“You don’t know?” she asked softly.

For a second their eyes stayed locked, but Weiss closed hers, a small wrinkle appearing between her eyebrows as she bowed her head slightly, her bangs hiding her face.

“No, I don’t.” She murmured.

Winter instantly reached out, gently taking Weiss’s hand, feeling it cold and hard against her fingers.

“It’s Pyrrha,” she quietly let out. “She didn’t make it.”

Weiss didn’t move. She couldn’t. The information was still sinking in as she heard Winter’s voice, but it was like a white noise, something in the background that she didn’t give attention to until she felt the bed dip beside her, and before she could say anything Winter had wrapped an arm around her shoulders, gently holding her. Weiss was sure that Winter was feeling a little weirded out, she never was prone to physical affection, but she was oh, so glad for the support. With a trembling breath, she squeezed Winter’s hand as she looked up, her eyes filled with tears.

“It’s been almost two years and I didn’t even know one of my friends died.”

“But how could you not know?” Winter asked, keeping her voice hushed and quiet, as if she was thinking that her sister would shatter if she spoke louder. “You were there!”

“I was unconscious after I helped Ruby reach the top of the tower,” Weiss explained, furrowing her brows. “I was exhausted, and I was working too hard. I held on as long as I could, hoping Ruby would reach the top before I passed out, and she did. When I woke up, I was already in Father’s airship.”

“But Father…” the older woman started, letting the words trail into silence as she seemed to be in deep thought, her face hardening and the corner of her lips twitching.

Weiss knew that face. Winter was furious.

“He didn’t tell you.”

It was an affirmation more than a supposition, they both knew it. As Weiss sniffled, wondering if she wanted Winter to stay or to go, the oldest sister let out a deep sigh, rubbing her palm up and down Weiss’s arm smoothly as she pulled her a little more against her.

“For what it’s worth, I’m glad you got out of there.”

Weiss made a strangled noise that was meant to be a short laugh, and it was enough to let the tears she was holding in fall, some of them landing on their joined hand that was on her lap. If it bothered Winter, she didn’t let it show, only leaning her cheek on top of Weiss’s head as she held her close.

Winter knew she needed it. Weiss had always been the most emotional of their family.

 

**** 

 

Weiss learned that Winter was stationed here, in Mistral, to investigate deeper into the whole ‘Grimm acting like they are being led’ situation, even though the oldest sister had been strangely distant with this situation. After a week, Weiss was healed and rested, now back to a hundred percent of her capacities. Winter was glad she came back to her feet as quickly as that.

But what Weiss didn’t say to her sister was how… _alien_ everything felt. She had been on her own for a year, now, alone with her thoughts, sleeping in the woods in her bedroll with the company of one of her summoning.

Weiss didn’t tell Winter that she would wake up suddenly at night because she could hear the pounding of the troops walking outside, her heart hammering in her chest because she thought she was ambushed by Grimm. She didn’t tell Winter that she felt weird in the presence of someone else, her sister included.

She didn’t tell Winter that maybe, it would take her more than a week to get her bearings again.

Even if she was glad to be with her sister, there was always this weight lifting off her chest when Weiss would enter her quarters, finally alone again.

Weiss’s quarters were small, a tiny room with a single cot and a desk, but she didn’t mind at all. As long as there was a window, she had assured her sister.

And so there she was, sitting beside the window in the middle of the night, letting her mind wander in the back of what she had locked down. Wondering if she would ever see her teammates again. Her friends.

Weiss flicked her wrist as she kept her gaze outside, her glyph illuminating the room for a few seconds until she felt something nudge her thigh, and without looking again, she raised her head, brushing her fingers against the short fur of the Boarbatusk, earning a soft groan.

The beast laid its head on her lap, content to just be petted like that, and it was only now that Weiss looked down.

Realising that she was one with the darkness of the room, and the creature was the one creating light.

 

**** 

 

“I must say, you impress me, Weiss,” Winter said with a smile as she settled her cup in its saucer. “I don’t think I’ve ever had missions going this smoothly before.”

The older woman sat back against her chair, leaning her elbow on the armrest as she looked over her sister.

“You have improved so much since the last time I trained you.”

The younger sister huffed as she rolled her eyes, sipping at her cup for a second.

“Well, Beacon didn’t play around with training. Besides, I’ve been on my own fighting Grimm for almost a year, so I didn’t really have a choice but to improve my skills.”

“Why does it feel like you’re giving me an excuse?” Winter asked, her eyebrows furrowing slightly. “I’m saying this because I mean it, Weiss. I’m really proud of you.”

A faint blush pinked the pale cheeks of the youngest sister as she shifted in her seat, looking down at her cup as she breathed a very quiet ‘thank you’. Winter realised then, with a pained heart, that this was probably the first time someone said that to her. Quietly clearing her throat as she took her cup again, she took a deep breath, trying to make the pang of guilt go away.

“So, Weiss,” she started, gaining her sister’s attention. “What are you planning to do now? Not that I mind your presence; on the contrary, you’re more efficient than most of my men. But it’s been a month, now, and I can’t keep you with me that much longer.”

Weiss took the time to sip her cup, swallowing the warm liquid as it slid down her throat, pooling and producing some warmth in her stomach.

“Well, Winter, I’m glad you asked. I’ve been considering for a while now-”

A loud thud interrupted her, making both of them jump in their seats, and after realising the sound came from the window, Winter spun around in her chair, her cup still in hand.

She was so relaxed because she had insisted to change the glass for what would be her office, and this was bulletproof.

But instead of a lodged bullet in the windowpane, she saw a young woman rubbing her head, grimacing in pain as two black cat ears were pinned against her head. The woman opened one eye, and it was now that it struck her.

She heard Weiss gasp behind her as the woman seemed to recognise her, too, because now her eyes where wide open and she was pressed against the window, her golden eyes locked with Weiss’s.

Winter looked back at her, but Weiss ignored her, almost slamming her cup in its saucer as she stood abruptly, her mind gone blank, focused entirely on those golden eyes that followed her as she stepped closer to the window.

Weiss was decided. If that window wouldn’t open in the next five seconds, she would blast it open.

Fortunately, the mechanism was quite simple, and it only took a few seconds to open it wide. She reached out, almost not believing her sense of touch when she felt the fabric under her fingers, and almost not believing it when she felt Blake’s warmth, when she felt how… how _there_ she was, wrapped in her arms. But it was when she spoke that she realised it, her grip tightening as she felt her heart swell in happiness. When she realised that Blake wasn’t alone, she couldn’t even describe how she felt.

That night, when they went to bed, all squished together, Weiss could positively say that she had never been this happy in her life, and it showed. Winter had been watching her all evening, with a smile on her lips, and she could swear that Weiss was floating in happiness.

 

**** 

 

“I know this isn’t a dog, but honestly, it acts like it, sometimes.”

Weiss petted the white head of the Boarbatusk, making it close its eyes in bliss as she smiled before looking up at Ruby, the soft glow of the creature enough for her to see Ruby’s excited face.

“Do you think he’ll like playing fetch?” the younger woman asked, almost bouncing on her feet.

Weiss shrugged, glancing down at the beast as it looked up at her, wagging its small tail. She huffed as she pulled on the sweater Ruby had loaned to her to keep warm, a smile on her lips.

“I’m pretty sure it’ll like it.”

The leader bounced off then, disappearing with a cloud of rose petals as Weiss shook her head. It was night, the shattered moon high on the sky, and both of them couldn’t sleep, so they had decided to take a walk. Ruby was telling her she missed Zwei, and so Weiss had the idea of her summoning.

But still, as hot as it could be in daytime, nighttime in Menagerie was especially cold, or at least to her, Ruby seemingly not bothered at all by the fresh breeze blowing. And so, Weiss buried her cold, clenched fists deep in the pockets, trying to keep them warm as Ruby came back with a large stick, her smile a mile wide.

“Here buddy, I have a stick for you!” she cheered, gaining the creature’s attention.

As it bounced on its legs, snorting, the leader took a swing and threw it as far as she could, the beast instantly running to get it, illuminating everything around it in a soft, blue glow. Ruby chuckled beside her, setting her hands on her hips, her smile still on her lips.

“It’s kinda hard to believe that I’m playing fetch with a Boarbatusk.”

“I’ll keep it around more often, then, if it makes you so happy,” Weiss smiled, keeping her eyes on the beast.

Her partner hummed, her smile fading as she kept her silver eyes on the creature, and she seemed to hesitate for a second before taking a sharp breath.

“That’s been bugging me, though,” Ruby started as she furrowed her brows slightly, turning her head to Weiss. “Why are you still calling him ‘it’? You told Yang you traveled with him. I think he deserves a name.”

Weiss sighed deeply at the question. Of course Ruby would ask. She swallowed as she shifted her weight from her other foot, noticing how Ruby turned to her, giving Weiss her entire attention.

At least, Ruby could catch on when she was serious.

“Because I don’t think I deserve to name them,” she answered quietly. “I have to kill them before I can summon them. I mean, in a way, I guess I’m helping them. But still… I sacrifice many in fights. Wouldn’t it be wrong if I named them, then throw them off in a fight for them to die again?”

Weiss looked up at her partner, seeing the ray of the moon sculpt her face in marble and giving a brand new shine in her silver eyes. The wrinkle between dark eyebrows seemed to deepen, but before she could say something, the trotting noise of the creature was coming closer, and Ruby broke the eye contact for a moment, throwing the stick again.

“I don’t say name all of them, just maybe this one?” Ruby finally said after a moment. “He seems to be your favorite.”

“I can’t.” Weiss murmured.

“And why not?”

Weiss returned her attention to her partner, as Ruby kept her gaze on the Boarbatusk. But even just seeing her face from the side, she could see the pinched lips, how her jaw was clenched. Ruby didn’t understand.

“It deserves a name, indeed.” Weiss started, earning Ruby’s eyes back to her. “But I don’t feel comfortable to name it. I nearly lose it once and I was so distraught… naming it would mean I have some kind of feelings attached to it.”

“But you already do!” the leader frowned, confused. “You said yourself that you were distraught-”

“Ruby, I’m not naming it, period.”

The leader clacked her mouth close as Weiss turned her head to the creature, joyfully trotting around as it searched for the stick, and she heard Ruby’s short sigh.

“I’m guessing there are other reasons why you don’t want to name him, but you’re not telling me.” She let out, her voice tight.

Weiss stayed silent, burying her nose under the collar of the sweater to keep it warm, and she heard Ruby huff, this time.

“I’m also guessing that your silence will stretch if I ask about your knight, the only summoning you call ‘him’, instead of ‘it’?”

Just as she said, the silence grew longer, and after a moment Ruby grunted, turning on her heels as the beast came back with the stick. The leader threw it again, and she waited for the Boarbatusk to be away, searching for it, before she talked.

“You know, you’re not tall, but you fill the ‘dark and mysterious’ spot really good for someone who always wear white.”

“In some areas, white is the absence of colors.”

Ruby snapped her head towards her, her features hard.

“What does that mean?”

“Nothing.”

She could almost hear Ruby gritting her teeth as she clenched her fists.

“I don’t understand, Weiss.” She finally let out. “You’re the one to ask me to let you in, to let you help me, but you’re not letting me in either! I mean, how long do we know each other, huh? And we’ve been through so much together, I thought we had a connexion, you know? But you’re still not letting me in!”

“Ruby-”

“If friendship to you is me, breaking the iced-shell you pulled up around you, then maybe you should have made it a little less thick.”

“I shared childhood memories with you,” Weiss argued, not liking the way this conversation was going.

“Yes, and I will cherish them all my life, but Weiss, I just…”

Ruby sighed deeply, running a hand in her hair as she stepped closer, reaching a hand to her but hesitating at the last second, instead brushing the tip of her fingers against her arm.

“It came out wrong,” she murmured, keeping her eyes cast down. “I’m sorry. Listen, Weiss, I’m not trying to force you to talk to me, okay? And I won’t push on that, too. But I thought you trusted me.”

“I do, Ruby,” Weiss murmured, her voice tight. “I do trust you. But didn’t you think that I was already letting you in? With how many people do you think I shared memories?”

The leader shrugged, mumbling under her breath about Blake, maybe.

“One person,” Weiss affirmed. “You.”

Ruby’s shoulders slouched as she bit her lip, her eyes still cast down. Weiss knew that she felt guilty for all that she said earlier, but she didn’t stop.

“It never occurred to you that maybe I was afraid of letting you in?” she continued softly, trying to catch Ruby’s eyes. “No one has ever known me the way you do. The way you do,” she added, waving at the house, designing Blake and Yang. “I’m trying to let you in, Ruby, but I’m afraid you’ll see something inside that would make you go away.”

Weiss bit her lip, hesitating for a second.

“I don’t want that to happen, Ruby.”

The leader didn’t move, seemingly thinking about what Weiss just said, but just to be sure, she reached out, gently touching Ruby’s hand.

“Do you understand?”

The dark head nodded, eyes still cast down, but as Weiss was about to say something, she felt a nudge against her thigh, and she glanced down to see the Boarbatusk looking up at her, as if to check up on her.

“I’m okay,” she assured, bending down a little to pet its head. “Don’t worry.”

It snorted then, stepping closer to Ruby as she was pulled from her thoughts, the leader taking the stick again to throw it far away.

“I’m sorry about what I said,” Ruby said, keeping her attention forward. “But, after all you said, Weiss, I just… I’m glad you trust me. I trust you with my life, and I hope you know that. But I wish you could trust yourself, too.”

Weiss looked at her partner, returning the hand she had reached to Ruby to her pocket, but before she could, Ruby caught it, squeezing it gently, her hand so warm against her cold skin.

“It’s not bad for you to be close to someone, okay?” she continued, turning her attention to Weiss, a small smile on her lips and softness in her eyes. “At least, not with us. I just wanted to make sure you knew that.”

 

**** 

 

Ever since the year in the woods, Weiss liked her alone time, taking the time to appreciate it for they were so scarce, now. It was in these moments that she could think, or, like she was doing right now, remember.

Lost in thoughts, she didn’t hear the soft padding behind her, and when a plate appeared beside her it surprised her so much that she jumped, a yell just shy her lips.

“Shit, I’m sorry Weiss, I thought you heard me coming,” Yang’s voice was hushed and quiet, trying not to wake someone in the sleeping house. “What are you doing, alone in the living room in the middle of the night?”

Weiss set a hand on her chest, above her heart, as if this simple gesture was enough to calm the crazy beating of her heart, and she closed her eyes as she sighed.

“What are _you_ doing up in the middle of the night?”

She quickly glanced at the blonde, who sat in the chair near the window, but she was in the dark, and Weiss returned her gaze outside, suddenly embarrassed.

“Are you naked?”

“In my underwear, actually. Since it’s not my house, I don’t feel comfortable enough to walk around naked.”

Weiss hummed, keeping her face away from the nearly naked blonde in the chair next to her, hearing her chuckle.

“Aw, come on, Weiss. After all this training and traveling together, we’ve seen each other enough to be past that embarrassment.”

When the smaller woman didn’t answer, the silence stretching until it was palpable, Yang sighed, standing from her chair.

“I’ll be right back.”

Setting the plate she was holding on the low table, she stepped in the hallway and disappeared as silently as she came.

Weiss had to wonder if being with Blake had improved her stealth skill, after this.

She also wondered why there were two plates. If Yang intended to bring it back with her to Blake, why would she leave it here?

Yang came back, this time wearing a loose T-shirt and short shorts, and she fell in the same chair with a sigh, looking up at Weiss with a smile.

“You still didn’t answer my question,” Weiss said, arching an eyebrow. “What are you doing up?”

The blonde smiled, reaching over to take a plate from the table.

“I was hungry, obviously. I worked quite hard this evening.”

The wink she gave Weiss made her snort as she rolled her eyes, crossing her arms on her chest.

“I do hope you washed your hands.” Weiss muttered.

“And I saw you in the living room, and I remembered how little you ate today, so I thought of making you one, too.” She continued, extending a plate to her, a sandwich sitting in it.

Weiss’s pale-blue eyes stared at the food for a second, before glancing up, arching an eyebrow again, making Yang sigh.

“I washed my hands, I promise.”

After a bone deep sigh, Weiss finally took the plate, placing it in front of her on the windowsill, before bringing the food to her mouth. Yang had been right; she didn’t eat much that day, and before the scent of the food came to her nose, she didn’t realise how starved she was, and she ate so fast that Yang chuckled.

When they were finished, Weiss gave the plate back, thanking her quietly. Returning to her post in front of the window, she thought that Yang would return to her room, but instead, the blonde sat in the chair again, and Weiss could feel her gaze on her.

“Are you okay, Weiss?” Yang finally asked after a moment.

“Of course I am.” Was the instant answer.

“Don’t lie to me.”

Her voice was soft, without the heat of anger, just filled with quiet concern as she looked over Weiss calmly. But the smaller woman only glanced at her, her eyebrows furrowing slightly.

“Really, I’m fine, Yang.”

The blonde sighed then leaned forward, her elbows on her knees, bringing her face in the ray of light that pooled inside through the window, illuminating one side of her face and giving a new shine in her hair.

“But you’re not,” Yang softly insisted. “You barely eat these days, and you seem to always be up when Ruby is. We know she has nightmares, but we don’t know why you’re always up, at night.”

Weiss pinched her lips, her eyes returning outside, an acid retort burning her tongue until she felt a hand close on hers, gentle, careful to be loose enough that Weiss could pull away if she wanted to.

“We’re worried, Weiss. We all went through traumatic events, but _you_ nearly died. I… I still have nightmares about it, sometimes. I can’t imagine what you must be going through.”

Yang thumbed Weiss’s knuckles gently, waiting for the smaller woman to say something. Weiss kept her eyes on their hands for a moment, trying hard to conceal the mixed emotions going through her as she pondered about what to do.

She knew she could trust her teammates.

It was just so hard to do it on something so personal.

She opened her mouth to speak, but it seemed that the words stayed stuck in her throat, and she closed her mouth to clear her throat, Yang still waiting patiently, squeezing her hand encouragingly.

“It’s not really a nightmare, it’s a dream.” Weiss finally let out on the second try. “Well, it doesn’t feel like one, either. It feels more like… a memory.”

She glanced up quickly, her eyes locking with Yang’s lavender ones, seeing that the blonde was even more attentive than before.

She clearly thought she would be turned down. Still, the words flew out past her lips, eager to finally be released.

“I wake up on the surgical table, but I don’t feel any pain. I don’t feel I’m thirsty, or hungry, or happy or sad, I just… I don’t feel anything. Anything at all.”

Weiss paused then, chewing on her lip for a second before quickly glancing at Yang.

“You did say I went into cardiac arrest, right?”

The blonde’s eyebrows shot up high, but she still answered with a nod.

“Yes. Two times, actually.”

The smaller woman nodded then, humming as she furrowed her brows.

“In my dream, when I wake up, I feel light. Not like I don’t have anything to carry, but actually feather light. I remember that, even if I sit on the table, then jump down, I don’t remember my feet touching the ground. There are doctors working around me, but they don’t seem to see me, and when I look back, I see… I see me. Well, my body, I guess.”

“I really don’t look good.” the smaller woman chuckled without warmth. “My skin is so pale, and all these tubes are connected to me… I can hear the doctors starting to panic, and every time, every time I look at the monitor. I flat lined.”

The wrinkle between Weiss’s eyebrows deepened, her eyes staring at nothing in particular as she tried to recall the events of her dream, Yang still and silent as she listened.

“But I don’t feel a damn thing!” the smaller woman gritted her teeth for a second. “I brought my hand to my chest, trying to feel if my heart is beating, but I can’t feel a thing… And then, I heard people sobbing. I turned around, towards the door, and I don’t feel my legs moving but I do, and suddenly I’m out in the hallway, and there you are; you, Blake and Ruby, crying. Crying for me.”

She said the last words as if it was unbelievable, soft and hesitant, but quickly continued.

“When I get closer, I can hear what you’re saying to the others. You’re trying to comfort them, you keep saying that I’m tough for a pipsqueak.” Weiss huffed then, a smile on her lips, oblivious to Yang suddenly straightening her back. “Blake keeps saying that I’m the most stubborn person she knows, and you agree. Ruby is… just a mess. She just can’t say anything. I tried to tell you that I’m fine, that I’m not in pain anymore, but you don’t hear me. You don’t even notice I’m there.”

“And then I heard another person sobbing. It’s quiet and discreet, I still don’t know how I can hear it, but I do. So I went down the hallway, then up another, and I found… I found Winter. Crying. Hidden in an empty room.”

“I listened for a moment, at what she was saying. You know, I just realised; you kept saying words of hope, that I would make it, but Winter… Her words are of regrets. ‘I should have told her what I was doing here’, ‘I should have warned her’ or ‘I should have insisted they took the airship’ and the likes.”

Weiss gritted her teeth again, clenching her fists and squeezing Yang’s hand in the way, anger flaring in her pale-blue eyes.

“Why did she even think it was her fault I was injured like that? It had nothing to do with her!”

“Big sisters.” Yang smiled, a knowing look in her eyes. “They’ll always be responsible if their baby sister gets hurt.”

The smaller woman huffed, pinching her lips for a moment longer before relaxing, sighing deeply the last of her anger, her hand releasing the vice grip she had on Yang’s hand, the blonde thumbing her knuckles soothingly.

“It was only on that moment I felt something.” Weiss resumed after a moment. “I felt angry that she thought it was her fault I got hurt. I was so mad,” she whispered, pausing for a second. “At some point, I tried to shake her shoulder, even if I knew she wasn’t hearing me, but as soon as I touched her, she stopped crying and looked up, straight at me.”

The smaller woman swallowed then, glancing down at their hands.

“At that moment, I felt like I got sucked back to my body. The pain… Dust, it was overwhelming. But I could hear the monitor beeping, I could hear the doctors talk, and one of them put a mask on my face, and when it goes black, I wake up. Well, for real, this time.”

“I wake up but I don’t want to look back. I can’t. I fear I died in my sleep and I’ll see my body. That’s why I don’t mind when Ruby comes knocking at my door, at night. I realise I’m still alive.”

In the corner of her eyes, she saw Yang’s head turn to the side, but before she could say anything she felt someone pressed against her back, their arms closing around her shoulders as they lean their cheek against her head. The long, dark and wavy strand of hair gave away the identity.

“You’re safe, Weiss.” Blake murmured in her ear. “You can’t die in your sleep. Your body is healing, and you’re not in danger anymore.”

Weiss huffed, a small smile tugging her lips as she wrapped her free hand around Blake’s wrist, thumbing the inside gently to show she appreciated the affection.

“Look at you, not eavesdropping on us.” Weiss chuckled quietly.

She heard Yang snort as she felt Blake shrug behind her, feeling her smile against her head as she nuzzled in white hair.

“I went to the bathroom and I wondered where Yang was, then I heard you talking, and I didn’t want to interrupt you so I stayed back.”

“You wanna sleep with us?” Yang offered as she stood, leaning over to set a sweet kiss on Blake’s head.

Weiss huffed, rolling her eyes to look outside.

“I’m not a child in need of comfort after a nightmare, Yang.”

The blonde paused, looking back to her with a surprised look on her face.

“You don’t need to be a child for needing comfort after a nightmare. Besides,” Yang added with an arched eyebrow and a small, teasing smile, “I know you like cuddling even if you say otherwise.”

The smaller woman rolled her eyes again, slightly shaking her head as Blake chuckled silently.

“I never said that, but fine.” Weiss sighed, twisting in Blake’s embrace to hug her back briefly. “Now let’s get going. I’m exhausted.”

 

**** 

 

A loud gasp woke her up, her body still heavy with sleep, but she still cracked one eye open.

In front of her, Blake was turning her back to her, one ear twitching lazily, but above her shoulder, two wide, vibrant green eyes were staring straight at her.

Baxter smiled widely from his spot in the doorway, the door being left wide open last night, and as he stepped inside the room he stopped, his face taking a thoughtful look before turning on his heels, padding away in the hallway.

Strange. The boy usually loved cuddles.

With a short sigh, Weiss closed her eye, shifting to be more comfortable, realising Yang was spooning her.

The blonde was probably too used to sleep with Blake.

But as it was comfortable, and Weiss felt as warm as she liked, she didn’t move, trying to get back to sleep.

Until the soft padding transformed into stomping, and another loud gasp was heard.

But this time, Weiss didn’t even need to open her eyes to know who it was.

Ruby.

“That is _so_ unfair!” The leader whined loudly, dragging her feet on the floor as she stepped closer to the bed, clearly half-awake. “Weiss gets cuddling all night while _I_ get to sleep alone! I’m the leader of this team, therefor, I’m the one who needs the most cuddles! That’s the law!”

“Fine, Ruby, we get your point, get in.” Blake mumbled as she raised the corner of the blanket that was covering her, making room for her.

“You take Bax. I’ma sleep in the middle with Weiss.”

The faunus grunted when Ruby crawled on the bed, accidently stepping on Blake’s leg while Baxter dived under the blanket into Blake’s arms, and the leader wiggled between Blake’s back and Weiss, slipping under the blanket with a content sigh while Yang only sighed softly, still sleeping.

Weiss looked over Ruby with one eye, seeing her smile as a flash of silver shone between her eyelids, and the leader snuggled closer, leaning her forehead against Weiss’s shoulder.

“Your dream again?” Ruby murmured, low enough for Weiss to wonder if she really did talk.

But the way she kept her eyes half closed, waiting for an answer, told her that Ruby did talk. It was with a small nod that she answered, and Ruby nodded, too. The leader snuggled closer, gently prying Yang’s arms off Weiss and delicately pressed her ear against Weiss’s chest, nestled under the smaller woman’s chin, closing her eyes.

“I’ll listen to your heart, then. Like that, you won’t have to worry.”

Weiss huffed, a small smile on her lips, and after a second of hesitation, she nuzzled in her partner’s hair, making the leader sigh.

It was like that that Kali found them, a couple of hours later, all sleeping blissfully and unaware of the click of the picture she took with Blake’s scroll.

**Author's Note:**

> I might write another chapter for this, so that's that! But it might take a while though, for I am burried under all the homeworks I (don't) do.


End file.
